The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for aligning a golf putting stroke.
During the game of golf, a player must often lift his or her ball from the putting green to clean the ball, to avoid obstructing the line of vision for another player's ball, or to avoid interfering with the line of direction of another player's putt. As defined in the 1994 USGA Rules of Golf, "Before a ball on the putting green is lifted, its position shall be marked by placing a small coin or some similar object immediately behind the ball; . . . " [The Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. (1994)]
A variety of golf ball markers have been designed which have pointers or indicia on their surface to indicate which side of the marker toward which the ball is to be replaced. Such markers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. D.D. 198,037, and 203,604.
The indicia found on the surfaces of ball markers are varied. U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,305 to Kei Sauma, shows an arrow-shaped portion of a ball marker. Fialon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,071, depicts a line on top of a ball marker; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,866,749 and 1,735,736, illustrate ball markers having pointer elements; and, U.S. Pat. No. 2,107,944 to Howard, indicates that a directional-indicating, or point-marking portion of a marker is adapted for placement nearest to, and preferably, in actual contact with a ball, the position of which is to be marked. These patents, however, do not indicate the use of marker indicia as a means to align the direction of a putting stroke. They merely indicate the specific location of the ball before it was removed from the putting green.
Putter alignment devices are also well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,622 to Evans, and the patents referenced therein, for example, describe guides on a putter to allow a golfer to observe the alignment of the club face or a hole, with respect to a golf ball. These devices, however, cannot properly be used to mark the position of a ball; are not related to lettering or indicia on the ball; and, cannot be left on the green while others are putting. It is an object of the instant invention, therefore, to provide a method of aligning a golf putting stroke that includes a ball-marking apparatus whereby the marker can acceptably and unobtrusively be used both to locate the ball and to provide an initial direction of the putting stroke. The golfer can then concentrate, during the stroke itself, primarily on the distance the ball is to travel and only incidentally on the direction.